Battery Wire Problem

I can get the radio to work but only if i connect the battery wire to the ignition wire. I never get a light with the wire tester like i should when the car is off on the battery wire. This is causing the memory to be erased everytime from the radio. What might be the reason for not getting continuity in the wire? or How can i run a wire directly from the battery. I think there are other things spliced off this wire because the door alarm that beeps when the door is open no longer works either. thanks

well I think you may have found the wrong wire for use as the battery wire. It's hard to be sure, because reading your post is like walking into the middle of a conversation. We need to start a little closer to the beginning.
What car(year/make/model)?
Is this a recently installed HU?
Where did you make your connections?
and/or
What reference did you use for wiring?
what color is the wire in question ('battery')?
I bet it's a GM.

i'm sure its the right wire. Actually what i just figured out is i think its a bad wire. or somehow it broke. Which i have no idea how. I run a wire directly from the fuse box where the battery wire starts directly to the battery wire on the stereo and it works perfect. But like i said i think other devices are spliced off this wire because my door noise doesn't work when the door is open, which i could care less about but my inside reading lights don't work. So do you think its a bad wire and if so how could this have happend.

First of all, a simple light is a lousy method of testing. Get a digital multimeter. An electronics shop will have one for under twenty bucks. A light is not going to tell you if the current on that wire is dropping to 0 volts or just less than what it should.

Second of all, most headunits have two power wires. One is constant 12v and one is switched 12v. The constant 12v keeps the memory and clock of the unit and will allow you to eject a CD with ignition off (on some units). The switched 12v line will power the unit when the car's ignition is turned on.

Third, if that wire were broken, you wouldn't get current through it when the ignition was on.

Fourth, you can simply pull a wire through a rubber grommet in your firewall, although I don't think this is necessary. If you do this, you run the risk of having your radio drawing power all the time, even when the ignition is turned off. This will drain your battery.

It sounds to me as if the constant and switched power lines to the stereo are reversed. Either that or both of those lines are connected to an ignition-switched power line.
If you're not certain what you're doing, it might be a good idea to take it to someone does know what they are doing rather than take guesses or follow suggestions from random people on the internet who sound like they know what they are talking about (myself included). If your wiring is screwed, you run the risk of damaging equipment, shorting wires, starting a fire or possibly injuring or killing yourself or passengers.
None of us want to see any of those things happen.

well, I'm tempted to erase my preivious bet... but I'll leave it up, humility is a good thing right? That that door chime thing threw me off.
For some reason I can't access my home computer remotely right now, but, I'll get some wiring diagrams up for your mitsu in the morning and see if there's something to this.
A few too many things going on here to just call it a broken wire, and troubleshooting electrical circuits is no place for assumptions.

DP, the last place I'd take my car for electrical work is a typical 'car audio' shop. Those kids scare me. But I guess it would be the lesser of two evils for some.